Another advantage of a black bike is you can do easy touch up work with a Sharpie.
Drew Ellison Everett, Washington USA
On Apr 24, 2008, at 11:01 AM, Charles Hobbs wrote:
> First on the powdercoat issue: In retrospect my question was somewhat
> offlist. I did not want to debate the ethics of powdercoating a
> Hetchins.
> All I really wanted was the technical knowledge of the list.
>
> Second, now that the honor of brown bikes has been upheld, I feel
> the need
> to stand up for The Black Bike. It is true that steel bikes look
> great in
> bright colors. My main ride is a Coors Light team Serotta in purple
> and
> yellow with dayglo orange graphics (nicer than it sounds). And it
> is also
> true that black shows every speck of dirt.
>
> But, back in the day nothing was better than riding the streets of
> Durango
> Colorado on an all black bike after midnight. No lights, no
> reflectors, and
> no helmet. It became an obsession, I wanted a bike that was as
> black and as
> quiet as I could make it.
>
> All black frame, cyclone deraillers with black body, Stronglight
> crank with
> drilled out black chainrings, black pedals and straps. Black tape,
> cables,
> cages, silca pump.
>
> Sounds a little paranoid, I know. But somehow in the post
> Watergate, Patty
> Hearst, Squeaky Fromme world it made sense.
>
> But the real point is that it was a gorgeous bike. When it was
> polished and
> in the sunshine it was perfect. Minimalist, simple, pure.
>
> Charles Hobbs
> Colorado